The VAR Guy

Until quite recently, the Linux world had, for the most part, only two major desktop environments: GNOME 2 and KDE. Fast forward to the present, however, and there’s an immense litany of different choices, all vying to become the new face of your open source operating system. To me, this shift signals a new paradigm in the world of free software — a turn that could have major consequences throughout the channel. Here’s why.

ownCloud, Inc., which went commercial fewer than two months ago, may be young, but it’s already pumping out innovative new features for the ownCloud open source framework, including some interesting potential revenue streams. Here’s a look at the latest updates in version 3, out this week.

HP has unveiled its roadmap to bring webOS to the open source community, with the whole process expected to be complete by September 2012. What’s in store for webOS as it makes this transition? Here’s the rundown …

Even if you don’t run Linux, chances are good you’ve heard of Ubuntu. You’re probably also familiar with its official cousins: Kubuntu, Xubuntu and the like. But there’s another subset of the Ubuntu ecosystem that gets less play — namely, the medley of unofficial spinoffs built by third parties. Although little discussed, the trends surrounding these distributions that hide in Ubuntu’s shadow reveal a lot about the open source channel more broadly.

Most politicians probably don’t use Linux. After all, some of them have barely figured out computers at all. But since the American presidential campaigning season is once again upon us, I’ve been wondering to myself lately: If the candidates did run Linux, which distribution would they choose? At the risk of offending various groups of people, here are my answers, for better or for worse.

Maybe it’s just a sign that I’m getting old, but more and more often lately I’ve found myself thinking thoughts like, “Back in my day, Linux didn’t have X, Y and Z. We did without!” With these sentiments in mind, I decided to put together a list of a few major desktop Linux technologies that millions of users now take for granted, but which didn’t exist only a few years ago. Read on for a look.

A recent article in The New York Times took a deep dive into the world of HP, Palm and webOS. The wild ride this mobile platform has taken thus far has been bumpy, but as it turns out, some believe it was doomed from the start. Read on for an inside look into why webOS is likely to become complete vaporware in no time at all …

The “year in review” pieces that proliferate old and new media alike around this time of year get tedious pretty fast. But because I’ve yet to see a good compilation of the major developments — and there were plenty of them — that affected desktop Linux in 2011, I couldn’t think of any better topic for my last post of the month. That may make me a hypocrite, but if you can forgive a personal flaw, keep reading for a look at how the Linux world has evolved in the last 365 days or so.

Lots of open source projects solicit code contributions, and others ask for money. But 0 A.D., the cross platform RTS game under development at Wildfire Games, is setting a new example by seeking cash to pay programmers. How is this strategy paying off? Read on for details, along with some updates on the project’s progress.

Not too long ago we covered Red Hat’s Q3 2011 earnings, which was cause for concern for some. Despite the company meeting or exceeding its financial predictions, Red Hat’s stock price took a dip. But there is some good news: Red Hat’s positive earnings have earned the company a corporate credit rating bump. How big of a bump? Read on …

The Ubuntu Software Center, Canonical’s take on the app store concept, is slated to move a step closer to the big leagues by the end of December 2011 with the implementation of support for PayPal. Here’s the scoop, and why it matters.

Spreading IT resources across multiple physical locations can lower costs, protect against data loss and improve performance. But it also creates more opportunities for bad people to break in. With concerns like these in mind, Opengear is making a run at the security space with the introduction of a new gateway product centered on security. Here’s the scoop:

In the last month, my search for a sufferable desktop environment in the wake of my Unity and GNOME Shell disappointment has led me to try a lot of things I never had the patience for before, such as compiling one alternative interface from source. It’s also inspired me to revisit Xfce, a desktop environment I’d once sworn off but which is suiting my tastes more and more these days. I may even end up a Xubunter. Here’s why:

The latest buzz around Canonical may be about extending the Ubuntu Linux platform to TVs, phones and other mobile devices and selling PCs in Asia and Europe. But that hasn’t stopped the company from continuing to market Ubuntu aggressively as a solution for corporate desktops. Here’s a look at its latest effort — an ebook recently released — and what it says about Canonical’s strategy for the big-business market going forward.

I’m not sure many people become Ubuntu users because of its accessibility features. But that doesn’t mean Linux developers ignore this issue; on the contrary, as Canonical employee and “Ubuntu Community Manager” Jono Bacon noted recently, accessibility technologies are a key focus of the upcoming 12.04 release. Here’s a look at what to expect.

Right or wrong, plenty of Linux users — such as this guy — have been less than happy with the interface changes wrought by the advent of Unity and GNOME 3. Lucky for these people, there’s hope in the form of MATE, a fork of GNOME 2 that bills itself as “a non-intuitive and unattractive desktop for users.” Curious what MATE was all about — and pretty fed up myself with Unity — I recently gave it a spin. Here’s what I found.

For at least five years, Ubuntu has been the pre-eminent Linux distribution for desktop users. None of the other polished distros, such as Fedora or Debian, came close to capturing Canonical’s market share or mind share in the open source world. But writing on the wall is beginning to suggest that the Age of Ubuntu could be coming to an end, at least on the desktop. Here’s why.

More than a year ago, Canonical began betting Ubuntu users would be willing to pay for certain software titles. The company has now taken that belief one step further, expanding the for-purchase section of the Ubuntu Software Center to include ebooks and magazines as well as applications. Will Ubuntu become the new publishing hub of the open source channel? Read on for thoughts.

What does it take to build a successful business in the open source channel? That’s a question with no easy answer, but it’s also one the staff at Talend, one of the open source world’s largest commercial organizations, knows something about. I recently spoke with them about the importance of open source to their work. Here’s what they had to say.

Canonical, as expected, launched Ubuntu 11.10 today. Although it seems like just yesterday that Mark Shuttleworth’s announcement of the codename for Ubuntu 11.10 had me googling the terms “oneiric” and “oncelot,” the development cycle of the latest Ubuntu release is officially complete as of today.  That means Canonical has introduced the 15th iteration of the world’s most popular Linux distribution has debuted.  What does that mean for us users?  Here’s a look.

It’s no secret that competitive VARs should constantly tweak their operations in reaction to shifting demands in the market. But few companies have exhibited such adeptness in reinventing themselves as Likewise, which in the last year has drastically redirected its focus and, most recently, signed on to an innovative partnership with Microsoft. Here’s the scoop on the deal, and where it fits in to the larger picture.

From the Active Response features of the OSSEC intrusion-detection system to tools such as Ubuntu’s ubuntu-vm-builder, the open source channel is full of software designed to perform tasks so that humans don’t have to — which is, after all, the point of computers in the first place. On Oct. 5, 2011, OpenGear introduced the latest addition to this field, announcing new “automated remediation” functionality for its console and remote-management products. Read on for details.

Data storage is to IT what silverware is to a fancy dinner: it may not be the most glamorous or exciting part of the setup, but it’s a vitally necessary one (unless, of course, the civilizing process has eluded you and you prefer eating with your hands). And like forks and knives, data storage solutions are already plentiful and come in many shapes and sizes. But that hasn’t stopped open source giant Red Hat from making a major bid in this market with its recent acquisition of Gluster. Here’s the scoop.